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Flu Shot Question???
Old 10-03-2007, 05:55 PM   #1
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Flu Shot Question???

I heard that provided there is no flu in your state or neighboring states, and you are not traveling, it is better to wait until later in the fall to get your shot. The rationale given was that new strains keep being added to the shot formulation as fall progresses.

Is this true?

Thanks, Ha
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Old 10-03-2007, 06:08 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by haha View Post
I heard that provided there is no flu in your state or neighboring states, and you are not traveling, it is better to wait until later in the fall to get your shot. The rationale given was that new strains keep being added to the shot formulation as fall progresses.

Is this true?

Thanks, Ha
Not sure but a lot of time they run out of the vaccine so I wouldn't wait too long !
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Old 10-03-2007, 06:27 PM   #3
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I've never heard of them changing the formulation mid-season. They need several months of lead time to ramp up production.

CDC - Influenza (Flu) | Q & A: Flu Vaccine


How are the viruses for flu vaccine selected?

Each year, many laboratories throughout the world, including in the United States, collect flu viruses. Some of these flu viruses are sent to one of four World Health Organization (WHO) reference laboratories, one of which is at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, for detailed testing. These laboratories also test how well antibodies made to the current vaccine react to the circulating virus and new flu viruses. This information, along with information about flu activity, is summarized and presented to an advisory committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and at a WHO meeting. These meetings result in the selection of three viruses (two subtypes of influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus) to go into flu vaccines for the following fall and winter. Usually, one or two of the three virus strains in the vaccine are changed each year.
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Old 10-03-2007, 07:18 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by haha View Post
I heard that provided there is no flu in your state or neighboring states, and you are not traveling, it is better to wait until later in the fall to get your shot. The rationale given was that new strains keep being added to the shot formulation as fall progresses.

Is this true?

Thanks, Ha
I don't know, but I'm not going to wait to find out either. I have a 10:15am reservation next Wednesday at a local health fair to get shot.

Last year all of the clinics set up by the local county health department ran out of vaccine within the first hour....even though they said before hand that they had plenty. We found out that a Walgreens pharmacy about 18 miles away was giving flu shots one evening, so we drove over, got there early, and were 2nd and 3rd in line. The health dept didn't have enough to finish even one clinic last year.
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Old 10-03-2007, 07:30 PM   #5
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Last year, for the first time in probably 15 years, neither my DH nor I got our annual flu shot. And last year, for the first time in probably 15 years, both of us came down with a particularly awful strain of flu that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I truly have never been that sick for nearly an entire week, followed by another week or so of being generally "wiped out."

We are definitely getting our flu shots this year!
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OK, I'm Convinced
Old 10-03-2007, 08:14 PM   #6
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OK, I'm Convinced

So I walked down to Safeway and now I have my flu shot. I hate flu, so I am glad I got the shot.

Ha
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Old 10-03-2007, 09:46 PM   #7
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Am I the only one on this forum that doesn't vaccinate?
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Old 10-03-2007, 09:54 PM   #8
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Am I the only one on this forum that doesn't vaccinate?
I vaccinate for everything. All forms of hepatitis that they sell a vaccine for; flu; and pneumococcus. And I am considering shingles. I would also consider BCG (for TB) if I am in a situation with more exposure to possibly infected populations.

I'd go for a flesh-eating bacteria vaccine if there were one. The only animal I want eating my flesh is Uma Thurman.

To me vaccines are one of the genuine public health triumphs.

Ha
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Old 10-03-2007, 10:38 PM   #9
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I agree with Ha. There's plenty of questionable medical art, but we understand how vaccines work, and they work pretty well.
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Old 10-03-2007, 11:33 PM   #10
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I've had influenza twice. Awful, awful, awful! I get the flu shot every year now and haven't had a case of influenza since I started doing that. I get my flu shots fairly early in the season as they take 2 - 3 weeks to reach full effectiveness.

I was sent on a business trip to South America earlier this year. Kaiser doesn't vaccinate everyone for hepatitis, only those in the risk pool. Traveling to South America put me in the risk pool and I was able to get clinic vaccinations for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever and Typhoid. I got them all before I left, and followed through with the full series. Like Ha, I prefer to be vaccinated for everything that's available. I'd get the new Gardasil vaccine (cervical cancer vaccine for papilloma virus) but I'm too old and they won't let me have it.

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Old 10-04-2007, 11:00 AM   #11
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Am I the only one on this forum that doesn't vaccinate?
Me either for flu. Have never had one.

Effectiveness seems sort of like last year's dart board, strain-wise.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:22 AM   #12
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Me either for flu. Have never had one.

Effectiveness seems sort of like last year's dart board, strain-wise.
I actually don't vaccinate at all. Neither does my wife, and we don't vaccinate our child.

After looking at all the CDC statistics (risk of contracting disease, risk of contracting worst version - such as polio with permanent paralysis), then cross-referencing that information with the preventative measures, personal risk factor (i.e. our health, or our son not going to school and daycare), and then finally considering which of the "worst case" scenarios we are okay with (i.e. are we ok with tuberculosis with lock-jaw until it recedes after a typical maximum of 6 months?), I just couldn't find a reason to vaccinate any longer.

Take for example polio. For an American who doesn't travel to places where Polio is a risk, vaccinating for it these days is almost pointless.

Why?

Because first the US has been considered eradicated of the virus for 2 decades. The only known Polio instances came from friends/family of those who were vaccinated or imported from foreign travelers.

Then the odds of getting polio in the US are already very slim. Then, while most people are scared to death of being paralyzed, they don't realize that the odds of being paralyzed permanently are *extremely* slim.

It's true I didn't live back when Polio was a major epidemic. But what most people don't realize is that a lot more people had polio than we realize... because in the majority of cases, it passes through a healthy person like the flu does (as was the case for my father who had polio with no adverse affects).

So all I'm saying is that many people take a default approach of "vaccinate against everything" or "always vaccinate against bad viruses like polio" without actually understanding all of the facts.

Many people will say "But the vaccine eradicated polio! So the vaccine is great." Those people would be misinformed because we can't "prove" the vaccine did it.

What we do know is that the CDC was trying to vaccinate everybody. They only succeeded in vaccinating about 10% of the population when polio was a major epidemic. The polio rates actually did not decrease during this time.

Then they changed their strategy. Whenever they heard of a polio case, they quarantined the person and all local people who came into contact with that person for 6 weeks (which is incidentally the typical amount of time it takes for Polio to run its course in a person's system). Then they vaccinated all of those people.

After this approach, the incidences of Polio were reduced dramatically. Was it the vaccination or the quarantine?

Now that it's been gone for twenty years, many people still remember those old days and vaccinate out of fear.

That all said, if I were going to a part of the world where polio was very prevalent, I would strongly consider vaccination. So it's not that I'm "against" vaccines, but rather, I evaluate each situation and all the facts as it pertains to me.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:26 AM   #13
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Waiting for my employer to get the flu vaccine supply in. They start with those at high risk (done), the rest of us get it closer to the end of the month ($7 versus $20 at the grocery store administered by traveling nurses).

I don't want to feel so ill and crappy for 2 weeks, but with 2 kids, DH, and tons of pets I can't afford to be down that long. The bad colds the kids bring home are enough
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:46 AM   #14
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Waiting for my employer to get the flu vaccine supply in.
I don't want to feel so ill and crappy for 2 weeks, but with 2 kids, DH, and tons of pets I can't afford to be down that long. The bad colds the kids bring home are enough
Ditto, but my employer does it for free. The problem is in current work
environment (cubical farms), one person comes in trying to be a hero
spreading their germs to all. For those that travel it's even worst. If
you are in this environment I would recommend it.
TJ
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:18 PM   #15
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I actually don't vaccinate at all. Neither does my wife, and we don't vaccinate our child.
You might want to keep your kid away from gramps.

NEJM -- The Japanese Experience with Vaccinating Schoolchildren against Influenza
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Old 10-04-2007, 01:02 PM   #16
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Very interesting. Kids are obviously exposed much more frequently than even working adults. If a vaccination program cuts down on the children's ability to transit flu virus, we cut down on disease, not only among children but even more on more vulnerable groups. And I believe that school children are capable of a stronger immune response than elderly adults.

Ha
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Old 10-04-2007, 01:11 PM   #17
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And I am considering shingles.

Ha
Is this a one time vaccine?
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Old 10-04-2007, 01:21 PM   #18
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[quote=Peaceful_Warrior;562687]I actually don't vaccinate at all. Neither does my wife, and we don't vaccinate our child.



]
Are you saying that you've skipped the hepatitis vaccines ? If so I think you are taking a huge risk .
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Old 10-04-2007, 01:40 PM   #19
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Is this a one time vaccine?
It's quite new. I don't think it has been established yet whether a booster will be needed or not.

Ha
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Old 10-04-2007, 01:50 PM   #20
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I have been vaccinated against most "cooties" with the exception of Anthrax (whew!) - we had a couple corpsmen who ensured the shipment was "damaged" and could not be administered....they had done their homework on the safety (at the time - mid/late 90's) and decided it was not something they wanted on their conscience!
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